Feathers
by Honor of Defiance
Summary: After Kingdom Hearts, where did everyone go? Not to heaven - but no, not to hell either. What was the truth about the Nobodies? Were they really just Nobodies, or were they more than that? Written in honor of Azami. AkuRoku. Others included from FFVII/KH2
1. This World Will Never Be

Hey. This is Jadyn now....I said I'd probably post something soon, and, well, this is the first one. I hope everyone likes this stuff - I'll try to post on a regular basis. Chapters are going to get longer, but they won't ever be more than 15 pages, I think. And that's at most.

**Warnings:** This will have yaoi content. It's rated T for now, but it'll probably go to M pretty soon...for various reasons. I don't speak much Japanese at all, so anything other than honorifics when I think it fits...yeah.

**Pairings:** Definitely AkuRoku. Probably Hayner/Seifer, Pence/Olette, Zemyx, SoRiku. Others will appear in random spurts, and probably won't ever be more than implied (Leon/Cloud, Vincent/Reno, Tseng/Elena, Zack/Aeris, and whoever else turns up).

Written in honor of the one whose name meant Defiance.

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**Chapter One: This World Will Never Be**

_"Hey....do you think we can meet here again....?"_

_"Sure thing, Roxie. You keep turning up, I'll keep bringing ice cream! Sound like a deal?"_

_".....my name isn't Roxie."_

_"Oh." A pause, then a slow Cheshire grin. "How about Roxanne?" _

_A glare._

_"Don't even think about it. It's Roxas. R-O-X-A-S. Got it memorized?"_

_"Hey! No stealing my lines! Got it memorized?"_

_"_Baka. _ It sounds stupid. You need a new line."_

_"I'm open to suggestions, but I'm not trading with..." _-static- _"Dance, water, dance sounds worse. And I like my line. It would be weird hearing it from someone else, don't you think?"_

_A short silence._

_"Yeah, it would be. And anyway, people might not remember your name if you don't remind them constantly. Right, A-" -_static-_"…?"_

_--static--_

_"...It's not like anyone will miss me anyway."_

_"That's not true!" Then, quieter: "I would...."_

_--static--_

_"Oh, so you actually remember me this time? I'm so _flattered_!"_

_Fire…_

_--static--_

_"Let's meet again...in the next life...."_

_"Yeah. I'll be waiting."_

_"Silly...just because you have a next life..."_

_--static--_

_Flames, everywhere. They did not comfort him, as they once did. Before, they had been like a caress. Now, they hissed and cut at him vengefully. He charged through them regardless, looking for the one person he held close to his incomplete heart, the one that made his heart whole. The one that he would give anything to save, even if it meant his existence. _

_He followed the spiraling path inward to the center, ignoring the cuts and burns that now lacerated his body. He had to find him. He had to, had to, had to tell him, save him, before it was too late...._

_He saw the crumpled black shape ahead and raced to it, praying he was not already too late. Even as he ran he saw that the flames that had once been allies had turned on that person, licking hungrily now at the black cloak the man still wore._

_He reached the still form and sank down next to it, batting the flames away. They wouldn't heal him now, only hurt him. _ _He pulled the man's head and part of his upper torso into his lap, searching the pale face desperately for any sign of life. This couldn't be happening - this was the afterlife, they were supposed to be happy, not still fleeing from the same terrors...! He'd only just found him again...! _

"_Rox...as...?" The cat-like, malachite green eyes opened slightly as a slight, confused frown marred the otherwise perfect face, even with the triangular tattoos. "Why're you...crying...?"_

_He hadn't even noticed that he was crying._

_"It's nothing. I'm fine. You're the one I'm worried about..."_

_A soft sigh._

_"You shouldn't be...."_

_"How can I not be?! I only just found you, I'm not about to lose you again!"_

_A slight smile curved the lips of the redhead._

_"It'll be alright. We were only meant to stay here temporarily anyway, to make up for what we did that was intentionally cruel in our past life. I imagine some of the others will be having a rather hard time of it. But it's fine. We'll all be moving on shortly...."_

_"No! How can you say something like that? That can't be the only reason we're here! I tried so hard to find you..."_

_Another smile._

_"And you did find me. I couldn't come looking for you because of the rules of this place... but I am glad you found me. That means we'll meet for sure in this next life...."_

_The body began to glow and fade in the light . He felt the weight on his legs begin to lessen slightly. His eyes widened._

_"No..."_

_Yet another smile, though softer and sadder than the ones before._

_"Looks like it's time for me to go, Roxie. I'll see you soon, though, ne?"_

_The glow brightened, almost concealing the body and blinding him._

_"No! I never told you..." The glow brightened further, hiding the redhead from view. He let out a sob, no longer able to hold it back. "...that I loved you..."_

_As the weight vanished completely, a soft chuckle sounded in the empty space amidst the dying flames. He felt a hand brush his cheek._

_"Same here, Rox. I'll see you..."_

_There was the fleeting impression of a kiss. Then, the light brightened unbearably, forcing him to shut his eyes. The last of the weight vanished, and when he opened his eyes, there was nothing there. Just an empty plain._

_"Axel!"_

_A cry of pain and heartrending agony._

_"AXEL!"_

_Then, darkness._


	2. What I Expected

Hey - chapter two. If you get confused, don't worry - the next chapter will be up soon. If you blink you'll miss certain cameos though. I should have chapter three up within the next two weeks.

**Disclaimer:** Last I checked, I still don't own Kingdom Hearts...damn.

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**Chapter Two: What I Expected**

_"AXEL!"_

Roxas woke with a cry, sitting bolt upright, his eyes flying open. He froze, breathing harshly for a few moments before drawing in a slow, ragged breath and letting it out in a sigh. He ran a hand back through his hair, forcing himself to let the tension run out of his body. He turned and stared out the window, not truly seeing anything. The window showed the same view it always did - the outline of the edge of Twilight Town, and the beach and sea beyond. It was a grey twilight, fog still rolling back out to sea to leave the town clear for morning. It would be dawn soon, but not quite yet.

_It was a dream,_ Roxas told himself, gazing out at the calming landscape. _Just a dream. Nothing more. _

Already it was fading - _just like his body did, in the end - _and leaving nothing behind save a vague memory and a name that he could not forget.

_Probably because it's such a strange name...I mean, Axel? Really..._

_But I can't help but wonder if it means anything. I've never met anyone named Axel, I would've remembered a name like that, not to mention that shade of red. _

He sighed again, turning away from the window. He swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching.

He glanced at the small clock that occupied his bedside table, a glowing blue monstrosity with fish circling it. He still wasn't sure why he'd kept it. It just reminded him of...someone. He wasn't sure who, but he knew that they had been important to him. The clock blinked at him, reading 5:19 A.M. He sighed again. It was too late to go back to bed, even if he could sleep after that...dream? Memory? Whatever it was. The not-quite-nightmare.

He wandered over to the dresser, glancing around the room as he pulled out his clothes. The room seemed bare, with only a rumpled set of sheets, the clock, and a phone to show that life existed at all in the room. There was one picture – not one he'd have normally chosen. It was a watercolor painting, done in black, silvers, and whites, of a heart-shaped flame and a key beneath. Roxas wondered vaguely why he'd kept it, then shook his head, deciding it didn't really matter. He was still going to keep it, even if it didn't really match his tastes. Much like his clock, it reminded him of…someone.

He showered and dressed slowly – no point in rushing, since no matter what he did now, he'd still be early for work.

_Not that I particularly enjoy it. Wish I didn't have to go in today,_ he thought as he got out of the bathroom, drying his hair. _Especially since we've got new people coming in today. Hayner and Seifer are gonna flip when they figure out where these guys are from. _

He shrugged. It wasn't his problem. From what Olette had said, though, the only reason there were new people was because their Sector was destroyed by _reiketsukan_, or, in slang terms, Heartless. They'd move on to another Sector soon if they didn't fit in this one.

_I didn't think the Junon area was going to last much longer, anyway, so at least we know it's not their fault. They were probably just overrun._ Roxas began to strap on equipment – light armor, materia, weapons – he was a firm believer in the concept of 'one can never have too many weapons hidden on one's person', thanks to his teacher – a few other odds and ends, and finally, his sword. It was rather oddly shaped, having a form like that of a scimitar with jagged edges, but larger. Near the hilt, there was an etching of a key, and a small inscription below it reading:

_"The Key leads the Oathkeeper from Oblivion to Destiny."_

When he'd first been given the sword, he'd wondered what that had meant. His teacher had smiled at him gently and told him that it had a meaning – but since she made it, he wouldn't figure it out until the right time came. Then she'd grinned at him, saying, "Though you might just be too oblivious for that to happen without help!" Since then, he'd paid it no mind, shrugging off any questions he got about it.

Roxas wondered distantly where his teacher was now. Last he'd heard from her, she'd been training a group in Destiny Islands and had just taken them to Traverse Town. Those three must be talented if she was taking them to _them_…

He hoped they survived. Honestly, his teacher was known for being a bit – well, extreme in her training, even going so far as to have new pupils train with older ones. Ones that were almost as bad as she was in some ways, and worse in others. Take Cloud Strife for an example, or the infamous Squall "Leon" Leonheart. Roxas might not have had the (mis-) fortune to cross Leon's path yet, but he'd met Cloud.

_Scary man,_ he thought, shivering slightly in remembrance. _Looks disturbingly like me, but personality-wise…couldn't be more different. Even I'm not that cold._

Sliding the sword into its sheath, he checked the time again. It was only seven…and he didn't have to be at work until eight. He silently weighed his options. One, he could show up almost an hour early – generally not the best idea unless he wanted to sit at a desk and do paperwork. Two, he could laze around his apartment and bore himself to tears. Or three, he could stop by Olette and Pence's bakery and grab some breakfast.

_I think I'll go with number three,_ Roxas decided, and he left, flicking the locks and wards up as he went.

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End file.
